


lean on me

by designer_eye_bags



Category: Ensemble stars!
Genre: Comfort, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Hospital Setting, Needles, Reader-Insert, Terminal Illness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:40:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23761708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/designer_eye_bags/pseuds/designer_eye_bags
Summary: Finally, he could share the weight of his existence with someone who would still treat him as human
Relationships: Tenshouin Eichi/Anzu, Tenshouin Eichi/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 25





	lean on me

The lights were dim, barely illuminating the room with their subtle glow. Eichi lie uncomfortably on his cot, prying open his eyes when he had the strength. Winter had begun, and yet he had no way to enjoy it other than to contemplate the view outside the window.

He could describe the scene in every tiny detail, he'd been looking at it for so long. Snow was falling peacefully in large flakes and clumps, only visible in the vast blackness by the streetlights lining the roads. He longed to have one land on his face and melt at the touch of his warm skin, but he didn't have the motivation to do so much as move over to the window.

Soon, his Anzu would be here, finished with her work for the week, and he'd feel a little better about his situation.

Sure enough, there was a gentle knock on his door.

"Eichi? Can I come in?"

"Please." 

The hallway's fluorescents flooded into his room, as Anzu peeked in her head with a mischievous grin.

"Hi there, Baby."

"Good evening."

After shutting the door again, she sat at the foot of his bed, straightening her skirt and taking his hand. The tape holding his IV in place was pulling away, so she ran her thumb along the adhesive until it could be replaced. Eichi had only just become aware of it, his plethora of medication making him progressively drowsier. A faint sensation of the needle shifting beneath his skin was all he could take notice of.

"How has your day been, Eichi?"

He turned his head to face her, weakly gazing in her general direction.

"Lonely. All the better now that you're here."

He shut his eyes again, let out a loud, low breath and shifted his weight onto his elbow to sit up.

"You look tired," he strained.

"I feel tired," she retorted. "And this uniform in uncomfortable."

"Don't feel like you have to take care of me, Anzu. You can rest."

Anzu took this invitation as she zipped over to her suitcase which was laid on the floor at the foot of his bed. "I'm going to get changed, and then we can relax, alright?"

"Take your time," he said. "I'm not going anywhere."

———

He was staring out the window again when she returned, wrapped up in her cozy fleece pajamas, contrast to his own rough linen ones from the hospital.

Noticing his long face, she sat beside him and slung her arms around his waist, setting her chin in the crook of his neck.

"It's not as nice out there as it looks, y'know."

"Yes, I know. But...it's been so long since I last touched snow. I miss it."

"I'm sure."

He leaned his head on hers.

After a few moments of silence, other than the timed methodical beeps from monitors and drips, she ultimately decided asked a question that had been clawing at her for some time.

"Eichi," she paused, "when was the last time you got out of bed?"

She felt him tense against her body.

"It's been awhile. I haven't had the strength."

She rubbed his back. "That's okay. It's understandable."

"You sound like you're planning something, though."

"I might be..."

Anzu kissed his cheek and pushed herself off of the firm mattress. She hummed as she approached her bags and pulled out a small speaker, then connected it to her phone.

Slow music started to leak from it. She swayed her hips as she came back to him, her arms extended, inviting him to take her hands.

Eichi laughed. "You're serious?"

She nodded, biting her lip.

He reached up with his right hand and took her left, leaving his other hand still set on his lap.

"Anzu, it's too uncomfortable to move around when my IV is loose."

"Could I fix it for you?"

Eichi gave the go-ahead with a subtle nod. She picked up a roll of tape from a nearby supply cart and set it down on the comforter beside him, as well as a pair of scissors. Taking the end of the peeling tape, Anzu stripped his hand of each piece, holding the IV steady with her other hand's thumb for stability and leverage. She applied no more than light pressure, but it was enough to make him squirm.

"Sorry!" Her voice remained quiet and soothing, the 's' whistling on her teeth. "Hold it there for a second, okay?"

He complied and placed his hand with care where hers was, cautious not to move so he wouldn't have to suffer the discomfort of the needle's position fluctuating underneath his skin again, as she cut a few new pieces of the tough adhesive, securing everything in a pain-free manner.

"All done?"

"Mmhm. Now...

He swung his legs over the edge of the bed as she steadied him by his forearms. Concentrating solely on not toppling over, Eichi didn't say anything, just made small sounds of exertion.

Eichi was very unsteady as he stood, the tile cold on his bare feet sending a tinge of pain and a shiver through his body, but it made him feel more alive than ever.

A warm linen cocoon soon enveloped him, the baby hairs on the back of his neck standing at the sudden change in temperature.

His IV pole was pulled along as she led him over to the window. The way the lights shone on her face made him smile. The view was so much more beautiful with her in it.

They swayed lazily, messily, and lovingly. He held her tight, just as much out of love as to keep steady.

Song, after song, after song.

The music was quiet, and they could hear the cars speeding down the highway outside.

"See, this wasn't so hard," she told him, hand setting on his cheek. "You have that playful glow of yours back in your eyes, Eichi."

He beamed and pulled her even closer, his blanket now settling on her shoulders as well.

Eichi wanted to continue late into the night, but his body was telling him otherwise. The exhaustion was setting in, and his head started to spin. Anzu caught onto this swiftly, guiding his delicate self back to bed and laying his head down.

"Thank you," he whispered, eyes closed.

She had oxygen ready just in case something was to happen. She knew every inch of that dreaded room, which of course was a good thing in some cases, but so very depressing nonetheless.

He reached for the CPAP in her hand, and she placed it over his nose and mouth, the plastic fogging up with condensation from his semi-erratic breaths. There was no use in securing the elastic, she'd have to move his head in a way that would obstruct his airway, so Anzu instead held it gently.

"I'm sorry, Eichi. This was my fault." Her voice was ever-intimate, a near whisper matching his.

Yet when his eyes were open, they still smiled at her, as if to say, 'Don't be sorry. If I were to die at this very moment, I'd die a happy man.'

Eichi held her free hand with a frail grip and closed his eyes again for a moment, consciously working to steady his breathing to a consistent, even tempo. Even if would hurt him, he desperately wanted to continue dancing. The way she held him – he never wanted that moment to end. It was pure bliss.

He gradually recovered from this small respiratory attack over the next few minutes, now returning to independent breathing. Eichi put the mask to the side, laughing out of pure, groggy joy.

"Be careful, Eichi! You're going to hurt yourself." Though, she couldn't stop herself from giggling too.

"I can't help it! I haven't felt this good in so long."

She laid down beside him, moulding her body to interlock with his, matched like puzzle pieces. The pair relaxed into one another beneath the thin hospital blankets.

"That, my dear," he told her in a soft, low voice, "was lovely. Thank you."

"Anything for you, Eichi."

This is how the nurses found them; limbs intertwined, her futon abandoned, Eichi's face coloured and filled with life. She was the best medicine he could ever be given, they learned.

They wouldn't disturb the sleeping lovers, shutting the door with a discreet, echoed click.

**Author's Note:**

> because my baby deserves the best.
> 
> moving this over from another website, so maybe my teacher will discover that this was not just a short writing piece, but a fanfiction.
> 
> will totally be writing more fanfiction for classes. that’s my dirty secret.


End file.
